Category Archives: books & movies

On Friday, I went to opening night showing of Beauty and the Beast in 3D at my local movie theater with my man. I have always loved this movie when I was younger, and haven’t seen it in a long time, though I did go to the Broadway musical of it last year (see this post). It was so fun to watch this movie all over again, and even though I had seen it numerous times before, there seemed to be a couple of things that I had not noticed before, and the 3D effects were so cool.

Back to the topic though, of movie snacks. I love movie theater popcorn…there is just something about the taste of it. I had some this time because I just couldn’t resist. But most of the time, I don’t buy it, because, lets face it, the concessions at movies are so dang expensive (we are in a recession people!!). So sometimes, I admit, I sneak in my own snacks, whether its some candy, my own popcorn that I popped at home, a soda, and when I’m trying to be good….I’ll bring in healthy snacks like fruit or trail mix.

Today, I came across this funny post from Groupon and I just had to share it with you:

Movie theaters insist that you purchase their snacks because if the public doesn’t buy them, the employees are forced to eat the remaining candy at the end of their shift. Avoid buying overpriced movie snacks with these tips for sneaking your own treats:

• Bring a suitcase full of large pizzas to the movies and say that you have a plane to catch right after the film ends.

• Fill your pockets with unpopped popcorn kernels. Hold each one over a lighter to activate it.

• Form licorice into the shape of glasses and wear them into the movie. If you already have glasses, pop out the lenses and replace them with Nilla wafers.

• Steal other people’s candy by pretending to be their wife or husband. They won’t know because it’s dark in a movie theater and you smell just like their spouse.

• Fill your mouth, nose, and hair with Mike and Ikes. When you get inside the movie, spit them out to share with your friends.

• Bribe the movie-theater staff into looking the other way by inviting them to your lake house for one unforgettable summer they’ll never forget.

• Soak a rag in soup and suck on it.

Do you sneak in snacks? What’s your favorite thing to eat when watching movies?

It seems like wherever you go or whenever you turn around, there is another Vampire show, movie, book series, etc. coming out. I think since the Twilight series became popular, it started this Vampire craze amongst pre-teens, teens, and even adults. I myself got hooked on the Twilight series, both the books and movies, and I find myself watching The Vampire Diaries tv series, and the HBO series True Blood….I’m kinda addicted.

In the spirit of the letter V for Vampires, here is my list of tv shows/series, movies, books, and famous Vampires:

1. Twilight series

2. True Blood series

3. The Vampire Diaries series

4. Bram Stoker’s Dracula

5. Dracula

6. Interview with the Vampire

7. Blade

8. Underworld

9. From Dusk Til Dawn

10. The Lost Boys

11. Count Chocula (the breakfast cereal vampire lol)

12. Buffy the Vampire Slayer series

13. Gomez and Morticia Addams/ the Addams Family

14. Count von Count (from Sesame Street)

Who is your favorite vampire (if you have one)?

And for fun, here is a Top 10 Vampire Myths brought to you by the Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency:

The Top Ten Vampire Myths

Most vampire myths come to us from the Dark Ages, when science was in its infancy and people looked to religion or superstition to explain the world around them. While many vampire myths have their basis in Christian orthodoxy, others represent imaginative interpretations of actual vampire behavior.

Vampires sleep in coffins

Bela Lugosi as Dracula

Source: This myth probably arose from gravediggers and others who observed vampires emerging from coffins and crypts.Truth: If a vampire did spend the night in a coffin, it probably had nothing to do with sleeping preference. In the old days, many victims of vampire bites were interred while still in a vampiric coma. The truth is, vampires will sleep wherever they feel safe.

Garlic repels vampires

Source: Most likely based on observation.Fact: Vampires have sensitive noses and can momentarily be driven off by pungent odors. However, this method of deterrence is unreliable and certainly won’t work on an experienced vampire.

A cross employed in WB’s
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

Crosses repel vampires

Source: Christian religion.Fact: Crosses have no effect on vampires.

Vampires are killed by driving a stake through their heart

Source: Christian religion.Fact: Because their blood is circulated by skeletal muscles, vampires can easily survive injuries to the heart.

Vampires burst into flames upon exposure to sunlight

Source: Most likely based on observations of a vampire’s extreme reaction to sunlightFact: Sunlight renders vampires, with their hyperdilated irises, blind. It also causes neural pathways to fire randomly in the vampire brain, creating an extreme epileptic reaction. As dramatic as this reaction may appear, it will not be enough to start a fire.

Holy water burns the skin and flesh of vampires

Source: Christian religion.Fact: Holy water, or any water for that matter, has little effect on vampires (although vampires can be drowned).

Lugosi whispers
sweet nothings to
his next victim

Vampires prey on virginal women

Source: A reflection of Victorian-era fears over the sexual awakening of young women.Fact: While vampires have a stated preference for the taste of young blood, they are not particular as to which gender provides it.

Vampires can fly

Source: Observation of leaping vampires; association of vampires with bats.Fact: While they do possess extraordinary leaping ability (vampires have been observed leaping over fences 20 feet high), vampires cannot fly.

Vampires turn into bats

Vampires are not visible in mirrors

Source: Christian religion. It was thought that a vampire, or any creature lacking a soul, would not produce a reflection in a mirror.Fact: Vampires are visible in mirrors, although interestingly enough, they are often quite uncomfortable with their own reflections.

This post is part of a month-long series, A-Z, that I am participating in for the month of April. You can learn more about it by clicking on the link over on the right sidebar.

After many years of counseling, Dr. Chapman noticed a pattern: everyone he had ever counseled had a “love language,” a primary way of expressing and interpreting love. He also discovered that, for whatever reason, people are usually drawn to those who speak a different love language than their own.

Of the countless ways we can show love to one another, five key categories, or five love languages, proved to be universal and comprehensive—everyone has a love language, and we all identify primarily with one of the five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

Words of Affirmation

Actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important—hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten.

Quality Time

In the vernacular of Quality Time, nothing says, “I love you,” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes your significant other feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.

Receiving Gifts

Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday, anniversary, or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures.

Acts of Service

Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter.

Physical Touch

This language isn’t all about the bedroom. A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive.

I have this book but have not read through it yet. Many of my friends and church family have and they highly recommend it. If you don’t have time to read the book, you can take the Assessment online, to find out what your primary love language is (which I think is very beneficial, regardless of whether or not you are in a relationship).

I took the assessment and got Physical Touch as my primary love language, with receiving gifts and acts of service tied for my secondary language. I agree with this assessment as the way I RECEIVE love. But I think people have different languages for how they give love to others and how the receive love. I think I tend to give love through physical touch and quality time. But what I have learned through this, is that how I give love might not be how the other person likes to receive love. So it is good to have a conversation with your significant other to find out how they best give and receive love, so that you can both work on “loving” the other person in the way that bests meets their needs.

Did you take the assessment? What is your love language? Do you agree or disagree that people have different ways of giving and receiving love?

This post is part of a month-long series, A-Z, that I am participating in for the month of April. You can learn more about it by clicking on the link over on the right sidebar.

Grab the nearest book (or website) to you right now. Jump to paragraph 3, second Sentence. Write it in a post.

After Kevin’s death, there was no way she could keep it. Promise Me by Harlan Coben

Upon first reading this line, left on it’s own, I thing most of us would assume that the writer was referring to a child. But it was actually a 2nd job that a woman, who was now a 9/11 widow, could no longer keep,so that she could be home with her son after her husband died in the terrorist attack.

This book is one of a murder-mystery, sports themed series by Harlan Coben. Here is the summary taken from his website:

New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben returns with PROMISE ME–a searing new thriller and a story of how far we will go to protect our own….

It has been six years since entertainment agent Myron Bolitar last played superhero. In six years he hasn’t thrown a punch. He hasn’t held, much less fired, a gun. He hasn’t called his friend Win, still the scariest man he knows, to back him up or get him out of trouble.

All that is about to change…because of a promise.

The school year is almost over. Anxious families await word of college acceptances. In these last pressure-cooker months of high school, some kids will make the all-too-common and all-too-dangerous mistake of drinking and driving. But Myron is determined to help keep his friends’ children safe, and so he makes two neighborhood girls promise him: If they are ever in a bind but are afraid to call their parents, they must call him.

Several nights later, the call comes at 2:00 am, and true to his word, Myron picks up one of the girls in midtown Manhattan and drives her to a quiet cul-de-sac in New Jersey where she says her friend lives.

The next day, the girl’s parents discover that their daughter is missing. And that Myron was the last person to see her. Desperate to fulfill a well-intentioned promise turned nightmarishly wrong, Myron races to find her before she’s gone forever. But his past will not be buried so easily – for trouble has always stalked him, and those he loves are the ones who suffer. Now Myron must decide once and for all who he is and what he will stand up for if he is to have any hope of saving a young girl’s life.

It is a great book series, and I think I only have one more book left. He does do some stand alone novels as well. I am always looking for book recommendations, so if you know of any good ones, please let me know 🙂

Rules for Five Question Friday: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then link up at My Little Life’s blog! You can also link back to my blog so I can share in this with you 🙂 And, most importantly, HAVE FUN!!

1. Have you worn the same outfit more than one day in a row? Yes. I was traveling oversees to Africa, which ended up being a 2 1/2 day flight. As soon as we got to our destination, I immediately showered and changed my clothes.

2. If you had to choose any LARGE city to live in, which would it be? Well, currently, I live just outside of Los Angeles. And being from NY, I would pass on going back there, because it is way too cold. I think I would pick either San Francisco or Miami, to keep a warmer climate and have a change of scenery.

3. Fly or drive with the kids on vacation? I don’t have any kids, but I prefer to fly! I get motion sickness in cars and I can be impatient, and would rather just “get there” quicker, so I can enjoy more time on vacation rather than being stuck in a car for longer.

4. What is your idea of “spring cleaning”? Dusting everything, opening up all the windows allowing fresh air to seep in, cleaning all the windows, going through some clothes and making a nice donation to Goodwill for all the stuff that doesn’t fit or I don’t wear anymore, and letting go of some “friends” that aren’t really acting like friends.

5. What is the best book you have ever read? I am currently reading a sports murder-mystery series that I really like by Harlan Coben. I think one of my favorite books has been Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I recommend it to all!

Description

California’s gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep. Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside. Then she meets Michael Hosea. A man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything, Michael Hosea obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation until, despite her resistance her frozen heart begins to thaw. But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband’s pursuing love, terrified of the truth she can no longer deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael Hosea does…the One who will never let her go. A life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love. Over 1 million copies sold!

Now its your turn to answer. Don’t forget to link back here and at My Little Life. Or leave your answers in my comments section. Happy Friday!

I just got back from the movie theater where I saw The Kings Speech. It was a brilliant movie and certainly worthy of its Oscar nominations, as well as other awards/nominations.

After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall), the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle.

Based on the true story of King George VI, THE KING’S SPEECH follows the Royal Monarch’s quest to find his voice.

It was an inspirational movie mixed with the right amount of drama and humor to keep you engaged throughout. Even if you have never had a speech impediment, the underlying themes of family expectations, the weight of those expectations from family or others, lack of self-confidence, and fear are all things that most of us can relate to in some way. Colin Firth did an amazing job with his role. It was also nice to see Helena Bonham Carter play a “sane”/”normal” role of a loving and supporting wife. It was a great representation of that period in history.

A journey starts with just one step.

Welcome to my blog!
I hope that after reading it, you will learn a little bit more about what I think, believe, my likes/dislikes, etc. and maybe you will share a little bit of yourself with me. Life is a journey that I believe we are to walk together...so please Walk a Mile with me.